


What's Waited Till Tomorrow Starts Tonight

by GinnyK



Series: The Pitfalls of the Man I Became [1]
Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Friendship, Missing Scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 10:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17897126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: Missing scenes which start after Penelope and Schneider leave the AA meeting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm not sure where this came from. I'm supposed to be working on finishing the last chapter of my 35,000+ word NCIS story or maybe catching up on my overdue Bull post eps. But apparently my muse had other ideas.
> 
> Title comes from the song From Now On from the movie The Greatest Showman
> 
> I own nothing here, all of the characters belong to people way more talented than I am.
> 
> I love the fact they gave Schneider the middle name Patrick in memory of Pat Harrington who played the original Schneider. I remember him fondly from my childhood television watching.

Schneider stepped out into the hallway while Penelope finished up her flirting.  He got a drink from the water fountain and paced back and forth for a minute while waiting for her.  She came out into the hall with a sad smile and cocked her head in the direction of the door.  He followed along, shuffling his feet a bit, hands stuffed in his pockets.  Their ride to the meeting had been mostly spent in awkward silence.  For as chatty as they both normally were, words just weren’t flowing out.  Both had way too many thoughts and emotions running through their minds and bodies to voice them on the fairly short ride to the Community Center.

The first mile of the ride back home was spent the same way.  Schneider curled up in the passenger’s seat, Penelope driving, eyes on the road and nowhere else.  Finally he couldn’t take it anymore and after a deep breath he decided to break the silence.

“Pen, please say something, anything,” he pleaded quietly.

“Pat??” she asked, holding back a laugh.

“Yes, Pat.  Actually Dwayne Patrick but Dwayne was my grandfather’s name so I went by Pat when I was younger.  But Patrick’s my Dad’s middle name so I don’t exactly use it all that often.  But at AA I use Pat.  Why that is, I’m not too sure.  Did you really think I didn’t have a first name?” he chuckled.

“Honestly, I never gave it much thought, you’re just, just Schneider,” she snorted as she turned, giving him the briefest of glances.  “Can I call you Patrick?”

“Honestly, I’d rather you not.  If you want to call me Pat when it’s just the two of us, I guess that’s okay,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.  He pulled off his glasses and wearily rubbed at his eyes a bit before putting them back on and turning to stare out the side window.

“Do you want to stop anywhere on the way home?  Need anything from the store?” Penelope offered.

“If you have time to stop at the food store that would be great.  Haven’t exactly been eating right for a little while now,” he admitted.

They stopped by the store to pick up a few things.  Penelope pushed the cart while he tossed random items in, ginger ale, Gatorade, frozen pizza, cereal and at her urging, some fresh produce.  The last stop was the candy aisle where he picked up a big bag of Skittles for Alex, his favorite.  “Peace offering,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.  “Or the beginning of a peace offering at least,” he added quietly.

“He’ll love it,” Penelope replied as she patted his shoulder.

Fifteen minutes later they were in the elevator, heading for his apartment.  Penelope hadn’t asked if he wanted her to go up with him but that didn’t really matter, she was going. 

Schneider shifted the grocery bag to his right hand a he started to unlock the deadbolt.  Penelope reached out to stop him from turning the lock just yet.

“Are we about to walk into a complete mess?” she asked, wanting to be prepared for anything.

“No, not really. I didn’t trash the place. There is one bottle of vodka in the freezer and that’s it.  I swear on, I swear on your family, that’s all I have left,” he answered honestly as he leaned forward a little, resting his forehead against the door frame.

“Okay.  I’ll grab that and you can put the groceries away,” she offered as she moved his hand out of the way and unlocked the door herself.  Schneider moved aside and let her in first.  When he didn’t follow right away she reached to give his hand a gentle tug to get him moving.  Once inside the door he kicked off his sneakers and headed for the kitchen.  He put the bags on the counter while Penelope opened the freezer and removed the vodka, dumping it down the drain and putting the bottle in the recycling bin under the sink.  She left him to put everything away as she stepped into the living room.  She was faced with a rather large decision, what to do next.  Although she did believe there was no liquor in the house, given the fact he swore on her family, the nurse and soon to be NP in her didn’t really feel comfortable leaving him alone. So she paced around his living room, glancing at the wide assortment of things he had displayed, waiting for him to come out of the kitchen.

Schneider shuffled out of the kitchen with a can of ginger ale.  He collapsed on the couch, head back staring at the ceiling.  Penelope sat down in front of him on the coffee table.  She tapped him on the knee to get his attention.  “I’m going to go downstairs, talk to Mami and the kids and change into unflattering yoga pants.  I’ll be back in a little while.”

“You don’t need to babysit me,” Schneider said as leaned over, head in his hands.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.”

“There’s no liquor in the apartment, Pen.  I promise,” he repeated as he looked at her for the first time since he’d come out of the kitchen.

“I believe you.  But the nurse in me is worried about you.  You’ve quit drinking cold turkey and you might have a rough night.”

“Yeah, I remember that all too well,” he admitted with a sigh.

“So I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Okay,” he agreed with a sigh.  “I’m going to take a shower, still feeling a little gross.  Thanks Pen.”

“You’re welcome, Pat,” Pen grinned as she ruffled his hair and stood up to leave.

Schneider started to give a smart ass retort but he bit back his response in favor of just winking.

*****

Penelope went back to her apartment.  Lydia and the kids were in the kitchen, cooking and baking, their default activity when they were trying to keep their minds off other things.  All three ran to her and started to ask questions the second the door closed behind her.  She put up her hand in an effort to quiet them.  Whatever adrenaline she’d been riding on for hours, ever since Alex had called her to the laundry room, was suddenly gone and she sank down on the couch in tears.  The kids joined her, curling up, one on each side.  Lydia got her a drink and perched on the back of the couch, planting a kiss on her daughter’s head. 

Penelope let herself have a quick cry before she gave Lydia and the kids a quick update.  She went to get changed while Elena and Alex packed up some fresh baked cookies for Schneider.  Penelope sent them to their rooms so she could have a few minutes alone with Lydia.

“Are you coming home tonight?” Lydia asked as she tucked an errant curl behind her daughter’s ear.

“Probably not.  I’m worried about him being alone.  He stopped drinking cold turkey, things could happen, lots of things,” Penelope rambled on as she felt a fresh set of tears spring to her eyes.  “Oh Mami,” she cried as she set the plate of cookies on the table and fell into Lydia’s arms.

“Mija, pull yourself together.  Your best friend needs you,” she stated simply.

“Okay, okay, I can do this.  Let me kiss the kids,” Penelope announced as she got to her feet.

Penelope found both the kids on Alex’s bed listening to music coming through Elena’s phone.  Alex was stretched out on his stomach, head pillowed on his folded arms.  Elena sat next to him, one hand absenting patting her brother’s back, the other wiping away stray tears off her own cheeks.  Penelope kissed both of them and told them she loved them and that she was proud of them.   They hugged her and just as their Abuelita had, they told her to go help Schneider.

********

Penelope let herself in Schneider’s apartment armed with cookies, her school books and dressed in her unflattering yoga pants.  She heard the shower running and she knocked lightly on the bathroom door.  “I’m here, don’t come out naked,” she warned.

“Thanks for the warning,” Schneider yelled back as he turned off the water. 

Penelope put the cookies on the counter and turned the flame on under the kettle for tea.  Schneider wandered into the kitchen a few minutes later, dressed in plaid pajama pants and a faded long sleeve t-shirt.  He looked marginally better than he had before the shower.  He folded himself in the nearest chair with a sigh.

“Mami and the kids baked cookies, you want one?” Penelope asked.

“Sure.  Baking to keep busy?” he asked.  Penelope just nodded as she handed him two cookies before grabbing mugs out of the cabinet next to the stove.  She dropped in the tea bags and poured the boiling water.  She set a mug in front of Schneider before grabbing her own mug, leaning against the counter.  They stayed silent for a few minutes, sipping their tea and trying to get their thoughts together. “Are you ever going to trust me again?” Schneider asked, not able to look her in the eye.

“In time.  Not going to lie, it will be a while before you drive the kids anywhere but everyone deserves a second chance.  You slipped, we’re here to help you, we’re your family.  Don’t you forget that.”

“Thanks,” Schneider answered, still not quite able to lift his head up to look Penelope in the eye.  With a sigh she set her mug on the counter and crossed the room.  She reached out and gently hooked her finger under Schneider’s chin getting him to look her in the eye. 

“You are welcome,” she said softly as she brushed away a tear that was threatening to fall.  She brushed back a stray lock of his dark hair and leaned over to press a quick kiss to his forehead.  “What do you feel like doing?”

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Almost 9:30.”

“I honestly don’t know,” he muttered as he pushed himself to his feet.  He finished the rest of his tea in a big gulp before putting the mug in the sink and leaving the kitchen.  Penelope let him go, staying in the kitchen to finish her own tea and maybe give him a chance to decide what he wanted to do.  She ate a few cookies and washed the mugs.

A few minutes later she wandered into the living room, not sure what she was going to find.  Schneider was on the couch, elbows on his knees, chin propped up on his clasped hands.  The television was on, but it was clear he wasn’t really watching whatever QVC was selling.  Penelope turned the light on the end table on and turned off the overhead light before taking a seat on the couch.  She settled down with one leg tucked under her, facing him.  She reached out a tentative hand to absently rub his back a little.  His breathing hitched as he pulled off his glasses and tossed them aside.  Under her hand she felt his breathing get quicker and more shallow. 

“Take a deep breath and hold it Schneider,” she said quietly as she scooted back a little, positioning herself halfway behind him, right hand on his back, the left resting on his hip.  “Good, take another one,” she coached as he tried his best to regulate his breathing a little.  Schneider blindly reached for her hand as he slumped towards her.  “Another one, I don’t have a paper bag handy,” she teased lightly.

“Yeah, I only have plastic and that won’t work so well,” he managed to whisper with a snort.

Penelope rubbed his back and they breathed in sync until she was fairly sure he wasn’t about to pass out.  Eventually Schneider sat up and wiped his face on the sleeve of his long sleeved t-shirt.  He finished the can of ginger ale, put his glasses back on and got up to pace around again.  Penelope just let him be.  She opened up her tote bag to get some studying done.  With one eye on her notecards and the other on her best friend, Penelope did her best to make good use of her current situation.  As the sliding door opened to the balcony she looked up and watched Schneider step outside.  He left the door open, a cool breeze flowed into the apartment helping to air it out a little.  She let him be for a while until her concentration waned and she tossed aside her work. 

“Hey Schneider,” she called over her shoulder.  She didn’t get an answer and for a split second she panicked.  Propelling herself to her feet she crossed the room and stuck her head out the slider to check on him.  Her panic quickly disappeared when she found him on the lounge chair, sound asleep.  She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as she wiped a hand over her eyes.  Schneider stirred a little as she perched on the edge next to him. 

“Hey,” he muttered as he straightened out his glasses and moved over a little bit so she had some more room.  “What time is it?”

Penelope pushed up the sleeve of her sweatshirt to check her watch.  “11:30. Why don’t you go to bed? You’re exhausted,” she said as she reached out to push a stray lock of dark hair out of his eyes. 

“I am but I have to admit, sleep has been rather elusive lately,” he admitted with a sigh as he leaned back, pulling his legs up, wrapping his long arms around his shins.  “Too many dreams.”

“I get it.  Can I make a suggestion?” she asked as she rested one hand on his knee.

“Always, Pen, always,” he said sincerely. 

“Why don’t you call Dr. B on Monday and make an appointment.  You might need a little help these next few months.  You have options.  I’m not the best role model when it comes to being compliant with medication, but we do it together.  How about that?” she offered.

“Yeah, I can do that. And I think I’ll at least try to go to bed.”

“Good.  Let’s go,” she said as she stood up and held out her hands to pull him to his feet.  Schneider headed towards the bathroom and Penelope went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water.  He took a couple of Advil and brushed his teeth.  Crawling under the covers, he let out a sigh.  Penelope headed down the hall, hanging in the doorway to his room for a second, unsure of what to do.    

“You can come in,” he teased as he scooted over a little, giving her room to sit down next to him.  She’d certainly seen his room before but obviously hadn’t spent a great deal of time in there, except for the time he had the flu a few years earlier and she took care of him.

“I’ll be on the couch.  Yell if you need me,” she said as she tucked her hair behind her ears. 

“Thanks, for everything Pen.  I doubt I can ever repay you, for your help, for not just kicking me out of your family this afternoon in the laundry room.  I can guarantee I’m not going to be a barrel of laughs for the next few weeks.  So I apologize in advance for anything I might say or do to piss you off.  If I get to be too much and you need to back away, I promise I’ll do my best to understand.  I’ll welcome any and all suggestions and/or ideas.”

“You are welcome.  I’m in this for the long haul.  You’ve been my best friend for way too many years to throw it all away now.  It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve had to deal with this.  We’ll get through it, together, just like always.  My first suggestion, which is not really a suggestion as it’s non-negotiable, is 30 in 30, starting with tonight’s meeting.”  Schneider just nodded his head in agreement.  “You talk to me, you see Dr. B, you take care of yourself.  You can see the kids and you’ll be honest with them.  I think they’ve heard enough about both you and Victor and that they’re mature enough to handle things.  They’ll have questions for sure but we can answer them over Mami’s cooking.  Deal?”

Schneider just nodded, not really trusting his voice at the moment.  Penelope reached out to wipe away the little tears threatening at the corners of his eyes.  Unfortunately, her action started more tears.   She wiped them away and handed him some tissues.  He sat up enough to take the bottle of water she held out to him.  She went into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with cool water. 

“Wipe your face,” she said, in a tone that left little room for argument.  He followed her suggestion and curled back up under the covers.  She straightened the covers and ran her hand over his cheek, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead.  “Get some sleep.”

“You too,” he said quietly as he gave her hand a quick squeeze.

“Night, Pat,” she threw over her shoulder and headed out of the room.  The last thing she heard was a little chuckle from him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope and Schneider manage to make it through a rather long night. Alex and Schneider talk things over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and comments, they are much appreciated.

Penelope put her books away and pulled a spare blanket out of the linen closet.  She turned out the lights and curled up on the couch, flicking through the channels trying to find something to hold her attention.  She wasn’t successful and eventually turned it off and rolled over, facing the back of the couch. 

The sound of footsteps in the hall woke Penelope up an indeterminant time later.  She picked up her cell to check the time, 12:43, which would explain why she didn’t exactly feel rested, she’d been asleep for about half an hour.  She heard the bathroom door close and the water in the sink start running.  Padding down the hall she quickly realized he’d turned on the water in the sink to cover up the sound of him getting sick. 

“Schneider, open up,” she said, loudly enough to be heard over the running water.  She tried the door and found he hadn’t locked it.  “I’m coming in,” she announced as she opened the door and slipped in.  She turned off the water and just like she did with the kids, she knelt down next to him.  His shirt was soaked through with sweat and she did her best not to cringe as she gently rubbed his back with one hand and held his head with the other.  Since he hadn’t eaten much during the day they expected things to be over soon.  Luck was not on their side.  Whispered words of comfort flowed from Penelope’s lips, most of which were in Spanish so they probably weren’t all that comforting to the miserable man next to her.  When she was reasonably sure he could hold his head up by himself she grabbed the washcloth from the edge of the sink, rewetting it with cool water and putting it on the back of his neck.  Silently he patted her hand in appreciation. “Breath,” she said quietly as he seemed hell bent on hyperventilating at some point during the night. 

When Schneider finally stopped heaving for more than two minutes, Penelope handed him a cup of water and wiped his face with the damp washcloth.  After rinsing his mouth he settled down on the floor, leaning back against the wall.  Penelope stepped out and grabbed a dry shirt and blanket from his room.

“Sit up a little, Schneider,” she said as she knelt next to him.  She didn’t get much of a response.  “Pat, work with me.”

The use of his first name got his attention.  He sat up enough to let her help him slip the damp shirt over his head.  She handed him the new shirt before she tossed the other one on the hamper.  His exhausted state left him in need of a little assistance getting his long arms into the shirt.  “Been a while since I’ve had to help dress someone,” she teased lightly as he gave him a hand.  Schneider managed a weak smile at the teasing.  He got a few sips of the ginger ale down before setting on the floor next to him.  “Ready to leave the bathroom?”

“Not yet,” Schneider whispered as he wrapped his arms around himself, shivering a little.  Penelope set the blanket over his shoulders, wrapping him up in a soft, plaid cocoon.  She settled herself next to him, pulling him close. 

“Thanks,” he whispered against her collarbone. 

“Okay, I’m pretty sure we’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the next couple days.  So you need to stop thanking me for everything I do,” Penelope teased as she rubbed his arm trying to warm him up a little.  She pressed her hand against his forehead, finding it cool and clammy, as expected.  Her hand slid down his cheek to the side of his neck where she not so subtly checked his pulse.  She didn’t have her watch on her, but years of practice let he know his heartrate was way higher than it should be.  Taking a blood pressure reading would probably be a good idea but her blood pressure cuff was in her bathroom and if she opened the door to her apartment, she was sure to wake up everyone.

“I’ve always wanted to play doctor with you,” Schneider muttered, half asleep.

Penelope snorted a little.  “I know,” she answered with a chuckle.

Schneider reached over his head and pulled a fluffy blue towel off the shelf, tossing it in Penelope’s lap and curling up more than someone his height should be able to curl up.  She brushed back his hair and a few minutes later felt his breathing even out as he fell asleep.  It wasn’t the most comfortable position for her but he seemed comfortable and at the moment, that was all that mattered.

Penelope’s eyes eventually slid closed despite the fact she was sitting on the hard bathroom floor with her best friend practically in her lap.  She woke with a start a few minutes before 2:00.  It took her a second to realize where she was.  Schneider was stirring a little, shielding his eyes against the lights which Penelope couldn’t reach to turn out when he fell asleep. 

“What time is it?” he muttered as he sat up a little.

“Almost 2:00.  Now can we get out of the bathroom, please?” she asked.

“As you wish,” he answered, quoting one of his favorite movies. 

“Let’s take this slow,” Penelope suggested as she stood up first, picking the blanket up as she did.  She tossed it in the hall and reached down to pull him to his feet.  When she was relatively sure he was steady on his feet she left him to use the bathroom.  With a sigh she tossed the blanket on the couch and went to get a drink of water.  At 2:00 in the morning she was way more awake then she wanted to be.

Schneider shuffled towards the living room, collapsing on the couch, right where she’d been sleeping a few hours earlier. “Great,” Penelope muttered under her breath as she curled up in the oher corner of the couch.  Silently he grabbed a pillow and set it in her lap, catching her a little off guard.  She recovered quickly and let him settle down with his head on the pillow.  “Comfy?” she teased. 

“Yeah,” he whispered as he closed his eyes.  Penelope just let out a quiet groan as he made himself even more comfortable.  She blew out a frustrated breath and settled the blanket over him.  Luckily she had pulled the coffee table closer to the couch when she’d been studying so she was able to prop her feet up. 

She’d always marveled at Schneider’s ability to sleep anywhere, actually envied it was more accurate.  It had taken about 2 minutes from the time she tossed the blanket over him until he was snoring softly.  Realizing that she could either try to move him or try to relax herself she chose the latter.  She brushed back his hair with her left hand and joined him in sleep 10 minutes later.

******

Schneider slept for about an hour, waking up feeling miserable.  He crept off the couch, trying not to wake Penelope.  He drank some ginger ale, which he managed to keep down for less than 10 minutes. 

“Done or waiting for the inevitable?” she asked from the doorway to the bathroom a few minutes later.  Schneider was standing at the bathroom sink, splashing water on his face, trying to control his breathing a little. 

“Done,” he sighed as she handed him a towel.  He ran it over his face and tossed it aside before brushing his teeth.   When he was done he put his toothbrush back in the holder and he sat down on the counter. 

“You need sleep,” Penelope pointed out as she put her hands on his shoulders.  He leaned forward enough to rest his forehead against hers for a minute.

“We both need sleep,” he pointed out as he kissed her forehead and slipped off the counter.  He padded to his room and face planted on the bed.  Penelope chuckled a little as she pulled the covers over him and ruffled his hair a little. 

*****

She headed back to the couch, thankfully alone. Penelope woke up to the sun starting to stream in the windows. As she stretched her legs she realized she wasn’t alone on the couch.  Schneider was curled up in the other corner, her feet were in his lap and he had one arm thrown over her legs.  As carefully as she could she pulled her legs off his lap and sat up.  He barely moved.  She tossed the blanket over him and headed for the kitchen.  The clock on the microwave let her know it was just before 7:00.  She started the coffee maker and checked her phone.

Two cups of coffee later, she heard Schneider pad down that hall towards the bathroom.  She went halfway down the hall, making sure he wasn’t sick.  Not hearing anything worrisome she headed back to the kitchen.

“Morning,” he muttered as he dropped into a chair. 

“Morning.  You want coffee?”

“Don’t think I can stomach that.  Might be able to handle tea.”

Penelope turned the burner on under the tea kettle and pulled a mug from the dish drainer.

“Did you get any sleep?” he asked, feeling more than a little guilty.

“I got some.  I’ve had half a pot of your nice Cuban coffee Mami got you and I can take a nap later.  How are you?” she asked as she leaned against the counter.

“Exhausted.  A little fuzzy, embarrassed, nauseous, miserable take your pick,” he muttered as he pulled a tea bag from the basket on the table.

“Well, you can take a nap later, fuzziness and I suppose embarrassment will eventually go away.  I can have Dr. B call in something for your stomach.”

“You sure he won’t mind?”

“It’s a phone call to the pharmacy, I’m sure he’ll be happy to help you out.  For some unknown reason, just like the rest of us, he adores you too,” Penelope teased as the kettle whistled.  She poured the water and put the mug on the table in front of Schneider.’

Penelope’s text alert went off.  She read it and sent a quick text back before tossing the phone on the table.

“Everything okay?” Schneider asked as he pointed towards the phone.

“Alex.  Wants to know if you’re okay.  And asked if he can text you.”

“What did you tell him?” he asked curiously.

Penelope opened up the text message and showed it to him

 

_Rough night, way too much puke, way too little sleep.  You can text him._

On cue, Schneider heard his phone go off.  He went to grab it off the coffee table and read the message from Alex.

 

_Hope mommy didn’t have to clean up puke.  Can I come up?_

Schneider showed his phone to Penelope.

“If you want to see him, that’s fine with me,” Penelope said.  “Toast?”

“Yeah, I think that should stay down.  I’ll tell Alex I’ll let him know in a little while.  Let me see if I can keep breakfast down and clean up a little.”

********

Forty five minutes later, after managing to eat a piece of toast, drink some tea and shower, Schneider texted Alex that he could come up to see him.

“If it’s okay with you, I’m just going to sit in the kitchen with my books while you two talk out here,” Penelope said as she grabbed her tote bag off the coffee table.  Schneider just nodded his acceptance of the situation.  Alex knocked and Schneider let Penelope open the door.  Alex gave his mother a big hug. He glanced over her shoulder at Schneider who was standing behind the couch.  “I’ll let the two of you talk,” Penelope said as she returned to the kitchen, giving Schneider a little smile as she walked past him.

Schneider stood up but made no effort to move towards Alex who was still standing by the door.  At 14 the boy was trying to desperately to display a teenage bravado he didn’t quite feel. 

“You can come sit,” Schneider said as he motioned vaguely towards the couch.  Alex took a few hesitant steps into the room.  He stopped, sniffed a little and launched himself into Schneider’s arms, taking both of them by surprise.  Schneider dropped his chin to Alex’s shoulder and held onto the boy for dear life.  Penelope stuck her head into the room and quickly returned to the kitchen to grab a tissue.

The two settled down on the couch.  Alex took the tissues Schneider held out to him. 

“I’m sure you have questions, so ask away.  Your mom and I feel you’re ready to hear whatever I have to say.  But before you ask anything, I want to apologize for yesterday.  I have no words, there is no excuse in the world for what I did to you.  You are a great kid and you don’t deserve any of what happened in the laundry room.  You were trying to help and in my drunken state, I just couldn’t see that.  I wanted desperately to keep my relapse a secret from you and your family.  I was embarrassed, hell, I’m still embarrassed.  But there’s nothing I can do about it now.  It happened and the only thing to do is move forward,” Schneider said, basically in one breath.

“Wow,” Alex muttered. “But why now?  It’s been 8 years, over half my life.  I don’t even remember the last time…the last time you drank.”

“It started when my Dad came to visit.  He doesn’t think very much of me, never has.  I haven’t seen him in a long time and it’s been easy to forget what he thinks of me when he’s a country away.  It’s not an excuse but he came here with a bottle of expensive liquor for me.”

“Even though he knew you didn’t drink anymore?” Alex asked.  Schneider just nodded.  “He’s an ass,” Alex spit out, putting his hand over his mouth, knowing his mother was in the next room and wouldn’t approve of such language out of his mouth.  Penelope just chuckled to herself, feeling no urge to correct her son’s choice of words.

“Yes, he is.  Always has been.  Anyway, I took a drink of it.  And it was as good as I remembered.  One drink led to another and the bottle was empty later that night.  I knew I was in trouble when I paced the apartment waiting to sober up enough to drive to the liquor store.  The night we went to dinner with you Dad, I wasn’t exactly sober.  Had airline bottles in my jacket pocket, along with mouthwash.  I think your Dad knew.  He knows all the tricks too.”

“Yeah, I guess he does.”

“You mom confronted me yesterday morning and I lied to her face.  It’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” Schneider admitted as he pulled his feet up, sitting cross legged on the couch, facing Alex.  He dropped his head down and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes in a vain attempt to stop the tears he felt prick at his eyes.  Alex grabbed the box of tissues off the coffee table and handed them to Schneider.  “Well, that was dramatic,” he muttered a few minutes later as he tossed aside the tissues and  rubbed a hand over his face before putting his glasses back on.

“Well, Elena and I went through half a box of tissues last night,” Alex admitted with a sigh.  “It was dramatic.”

“So your mom and I talked, you and your sister can spend time with me, if you want to, but I obviously won’t be driving you anywhere for the time being.”

“We can drag our bikes out of the garage,” Alex offered. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

“So now what?” Alex asked.  “What happens next with you?”

“30 AA meetings in 30 days, for starters.”

“Every day? That’s a lot,” Alex muttered as he propped his feet on the coffee table.

“Yeah, it is.  But I have to start somewhere and this has always been the best place to start for me.  So I’ll go to a meeting later, hopefully I’ll make it through without puking.  And by the way, your mom didn’t have to clean anything up last night,” Schneider chuckled.

“Good, she gets enough of that at work.”

“Things may be a little messy for a few days as I get used to being sober.  You’ll have to be the man of the house for a while,” Schneider teased.

“I can do that,” Alex said with a grin.    

“Hey, I got something for you yesterday.  Wait right here.”  Schneider went to the kitchen to find the bag of Skittles he’d picked up at the store.  He found Penelope pretending to study at the table.  She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, which almost started his tears all over again.  He grabbed the candy without a word.

“Here,” he said, tossing the Skittles at Alex who caught them easily. 

“Wow, the big bag, thanks.”

“Least I could do and I mean the very least.”

“Schneider, don’t try so hard.  Yeah, you screwed up.  We all screw up, we’re human,” Alex smirked.

“That we are Alex, that we are.”

Alex opened the bag of candy, offering some to Schneider, who declined the offer with a shake of his head.  “You coming over for dinner tonight?”

“Probably depends what Lydia’s making.  Not up to anything spicy,” Schneider admitted.

“I’ll hide her spices,” Alex offered with a grin. 

“Sounds like a plan.  Look I have a few things to do before I go to a meeting.  How about we catch up later?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Both of them got up and Alex went into the kitchen.

“I am so proud of you,” Penelope said as Alex gave her a big hug.  “You going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I am.  I just hope Schneider will be too.”

“Me too, baby, me too.  Go help your sister clean up the living room.  I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay Mom,” Alex answered as he kissed her cheek.  He grabbed the candy and his cell phone off the coffee table.  Schneider walked him to the door.  “Text me later, let me know if you’re coming to dinner.  You owe me a Mario Kart match,” Alex declared with a grin.

“I can do that.  Thanks for everything,” Schneider said as he opened the door.  Alex took one step into the hallway before turning around and wrapping his arms around Schneider, who was caught completely off-guard.  He returned the hug and pressed a kiss to the top of Alex’s head, wondering how much longer he’d be able to do that.  He closed the door and turned to see Penelope standing there, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, tears streaming down her face.  She launched herself at him.  Luckily he’d widened his stance enough that they both didn’t end up on the floor.

“You have one awesome kid, Pen.” 

“I know I do.  And you had something to do with his awesomeness, don’t forget that,” she pointed out.

“I will never forget that,” he whispered.

“What time are you going to a meeting?” she asked.

“There’s one in about 45 minutes,” he answered, after checking his watch.

“You want a ride?” Penelope offered.

“Yeah.  Not really ready to drive just yet.”

“It’s fine.  I won’t go in, if that’s okay with you.  I can study in the car, no distractions.”

“Win-win, I guess,” Schneider said flatly.

*********

Penelope pulled into a parking space at the Community Center 10 minutes before the start of the meeting.  She put the car into park and turned sideways to faced Schneider.  Without a word she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“What was that for, Pen?” he asked as he gave her a sad smile.

“You look like you needed it,” she stated simply as she reached out to straighten his glasses a bit. 

“I did, thanks.  Hit the books, I’ll be back in an hour or so,” he said as he tucked her hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead.

“I’m proud of you, Pat,” she said as he reached to open the door.

He just nodded, knowing she didn’t need to hear him voice his thanks once again.

 

 


End file.
